RIP

Just PMd you PtP. I may have used a strong word but just because this guy died it does not rub out the things he did. He was no saint and left this country in ruins when he was kicked out of office by the nation, are we somehow supposed to forget that once he dies. Respect needs to be earned and he certainly didn't earn mine while he was PM.

I support a strong nuclear detelrent - so what? What does that actually mean, crap pollie talk to detract from the point as usual.

But then again youâre a politician too so no surprises in that you all stick togetherâ¦â¦..

"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life".

LE

I have said before no one who was of voting age will forget the 70s. We had two of the worst PMs in Brit history, Wilson and Heath. The economy went from one to the other and then back again.
Nither was up to doing what was needed to sort out UK or the economy and it took Maggei to sort that out.
We'll never have another Maggei and J C was was the last of the decent labour leaders with personal standards that where accepatable both in and out of parliament.
john

LE

Crocodile tears my dear old things? moast of us I suspect would not have crossed the road to piss on Jim Callaghan if he was on fire. As Ord_Sgt so rightly says, just because he is dead does not make him a saint. He was a very less than average PM.

The flavour of this thread reminds me of the Not the nine O Clock News sketch where the two politicos are having a stand up row and one of them dies..."A great parlimentarian, he will be sadly missed..."

As I recall his RN service was not exactly front-line either. The late seventies were piss-poor in terms of government, to paraphrase another "great" PM, we never had it so bad. Sorry he's dead in a John Donne-ish styley but wish he hadn't troubled the scorers at No. 10!

They used to say if an infinite number of chimps typed we would get the works of Shakespeare, the internet has proved this is NOT the case...

Old-Salt

That's just the crux of the issue, isn't it. No earthly reason for a differing opinion to be culled - shuffling off the mortal coil does not absolve you of your mistakes, serving in HMF does not make you immune from criticism, and as for patriotism, well that's about as subjective as it comes.

So, regardless of whether or not I share your opinions on the merits of independent nuclear deterrents, the very brave individuals of the Artic Convoys or any other matter, it was your value system, imposed on the rest of us which caused the comments to be culled. The issue of respect was at best an afterthought, which you've mentioned now to stop people thinking you're far too active with that delete key of yours.

LE

Jimmy was treated like Andrex by the unions and was next to useless as a PM, but he was an honourable man who believed in what he did. Besides which, he did his bit and certainly doesn't deserve to be called a ****, alive or dead.

LE

Belushi, I have already explained, by PM to the poster whose replies I culled, and in public my EXACT reasons for doing so. I am sure if you ask him, he'll send you both his original question and a copy of my reply, if he feels it any of your business that is.

PTP

He had bought a large map representing the sea,
Without the least vestige of land:
And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be
A map they could all understand.

RIP

PTP did PM me with his reason â in short the word was inappropriate, which I accept. However as I said in the PM he was a likable enough person â I met him in the late eighties in Germany - he was though an unmitigated disaster as PM. And as others have said his death however sad that may be does not change that.

BTW I served in GW1, NI and Africa so can you stop criticizing me? Or do I have to die first?

"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life".

LE

As a relative youngster (Maggie Thatcher being my 'first' Prime Minister) I don't have any personal memories of Lord Callaghan as PM, but as a former politics student I am aware of his less-than-successful period as PM. There tends to be a bit of 'Golden Age' haziness that surrounds Elder Statesmen once they retire from the dirt & sleaze of political life, and in keeping with most people's respectful nature in not speaking ill of the dead, most of the deceased's 'less noble' actions and decisions are not referred to.

I wonder what will be said of BLiar when the Grim Reaper calls for him...

LE

Jim tried to see both sides of any situation prehaps not the best way for a PM but he was just the wrong man at the wrong time. He wasn't adverse to putting a bit of steel to the velvet glove , everyone remembers the Iranian Embassy ( Thatcher ) but what about the team that he put in to lead the half trained GS9 hijack busters in somalia after the luft hansa hijack. When the reaper calls on Ted Heath will he be called a cnut or an honerable man like Ted Jim thought of everyone not just his voters unlike maggie selling of the family jewels , if you see sid tell him we all got screwed.